Giant Panda Conservation Joint Project Site

We invited experts from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China to chat about the current status of breeding research and the future of pandas!

In 2019, to celebrate Adventure World's 40th anniversary, we hosted the "Giant Panda Japan-China Joint Breeding Research Symposium" in Shirahama Town for the very first time for everyone to enjoy! We invited three awesome experts from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. They gave talks on everything from how we care for pandas to the history and current efforts in wild panda conservation, plus health care and disease prevention. Even though the topics were pretty specialized, 270 people came, showing just how much everyone cares about giant panda conservation! We were also honored to have guests like the Governor of Wakayama Prefecture and the Mayor of Shirahama Town, along with other local officials, which really helped us connect. Oh, and all the fees from the symposium were donated to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to help with panda conservation efforts!

[ Lecture 1 ]
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Celebrating 30 Years of Giant Panda Ex-situ Conservation and the Success of Japan-China Collaboration
Dr. Zhang Zhihe (Director and Secretary)
A report on the role and achievements of over 30 years of breeding research, conservation education, and being a key tourist spot, all as a leading research institution for panda ex-situ conservation projects.

[ Lecture 2 ]
From the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Daily Health Management and Disease Prevention for Giant Pandas
Dr. Luo Wan, Veterinarian and Associate Researcher (Supervisor, Animal Disease Prevention and Control Department)
A report on how panda health management has evolved and the challenges faced, with real-life examples.

[ Lecture 3 ]
The Current Situation of Giant Pandas
Dr. Qi Dunwu, Researcher (Research Center Supervisor)
A report on the current status of wild pandas and conservation efforts in China.

[ Panel Discussion ]
Theme: "The Future of Giant Pandas"
Panelists: Dr. Zhang Zhihe, Dr. Qi Dunwu
Dr. Luo Wan, Veterinarian (Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding)
Director Koji Imazu, Executive Committee Chairperson Tatsuko Nakao (Adventure World)

I really think the passionate research by Chinese experts and their efforts to build international connections and understanding have been an incredibly tough journey so far. And honestly, I wouldn't have known about all the unknown parts without hearing this lecture! I'm going to do my best to help increase these adorable, precious lives, which are treasures of our world, so they can be around forever.
It was really clear how Adventure World's pandas achieved their breeding success thanks to working with Chinese researchers. I also got a good grasp of China's panda conservation efforts. It felt wonderful, especially thinking about the friendship between Japan and China!
It was seriously awesome to hear talks in Japanese from people at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, a place that's doing super cutting-edge work with giant pandas! I learned absolutely everything I wanted to know about the latest research and methods for them.